Rangefinder binos vs hand held Rangefinder

[AZHunter04]

What have you guys found works best for rifle hunting? What about bow? Rangefinder or Range Binos?

 

[MarkTheFark]

Love RF binos for rifle hunting, but a dedicated small handheld RF for bow hunting is a "must" for me.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I use the RF binos for pdog shooting as I don't have to carry them. They are typically heavier. For hunting I carry regular binos and a compact RF.

 

[rammac]

My Sig Kilo 3000 binos only weigh a couple ounces more than a comparable standard bino, not enough to notice. I carry mine while hunting elk and deer in Montana.

 

[sp6x6]

I like a small range finder for archery.I always have 10 x bino on my chest and front carry rifle safari sling.So I favor a light bino,use 10x32 el.I have small sig 2400 ABS for ranging.I have set up where I can duel mnt it with my spotter for antelope or such.When prone I usually rest on rifle thats on bipods off scope and range a few times for accuracy

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

My Leica's are heavy.

 

[AZHunter04]

I have the Leica hd-b as well they are heavier then your standard vino but clarity is amazing.

 

[nmbarta]

I've been contemplating this myself. It's really tough to get a good range on a speed goat out on the flats in the sage with a hand held. The extra magnification would help a lot with rf binos. One less gadget doesn't bother me either, but it's a big investment that is guaranteed to be worthless in a few years with how quick the technology is moving. It's a tough call. I think for rifle hunting the rf binos would be the way to go if your not already in too deep like me. Hand held is the only way to go for archery, but pretty much anything is good enough for that.

 

[highdrum]

I have a set of zeiss lrf binos, they're very nice, and the lrf is convenient. However tge lrf function isn't on the same level as my kilo 2400abs. Like not even close. Beginning to wonder if my Victory RF binos are duds.

 

[BrentM]

Depends on what you hunt. A LRF bino like the leica HDB is nice. The LRF in the bino is excellent. The issue for me with the LRF Bino is simply they don't offer a good ballistic solution. Leica has a custom set up you can input but it will only go to 850. 850 is probably enough realistically but I have a desire for solutions further out. That is why I have the sig 2400 and had the G7. My main use of a LRF for hunting is for predators so I typically have limited time since the turds are always moving. For deer/elk an app with a lrf bino is fine and use a ballistic app.

If Leica or equivalent quality bino was made with a LRF and ballistic engine (applied ballistics) I'd go LRF Bino and ditch the high end lrf. For deer and elk I hunt primarily with a bow and have no issue using a cheap lrf or a leica bino. All I need is a range, I don't need drop data.

 

[kpacker]

I've debated and debated this question myself for years. For a long time I ran my 10x42 ELs(12yrs old w/o swarovision) and a Leica RF. Worked great. I'm all about simplifying and cutting weight in the field. This last year, I bought the zeiss RF binos, kinda went all in on one unit. It weighs more than the ELs and a bit bigger but less weight than the ELs and the Leica together. I figured I'd always have my binos on my chest no matter what or how I was hunting.
It works well too, glass is very pretty much equal to these older ELs. I'm guessing the newer ELs would be better glass than these Zeiss RF binos though.
Hunting for me is all about binos on a tripod. I run the Outdoorsmans bino adapter which the Swaro RF binos can't run. I jumped on the Zeiss RF binos because it can run their bino stud and adapter. Now, the zeiss ballistic software in the things I can't get to work for me, I really only use the range and angle compensated range; I have other things to that I use to calculate my numbers from there. These have been my thoughts basically. Let me know if you have any other questions , I'm happy to chat about it

 

[rammac]

Actually the Sig Kilo 3000 bino does offer a good ballistics engine, Applied Ballistics. The binos provide drop data out 800 yards by itself but if you use a Bluetooth connection to a Kestrel meter (with the AB engine) you can get drop data out to 3000 yards. You program the bino with a phone app.

 

[BrentM]

Actually the Sig Kilo 3000 bino does offer a good ballistics engine, Applied Ballistics. The binos provide drop data out 800 yards by itself but if you use a Bluetooth connection to a Kestrel meter (with the AB engine) you can get drop data out to 3000 yards. You program the bino with a phone app.

Yes, 800 with 1 moa accuracy. It's OK, the glass is not on par with Leica or Swaro which is what we use for guiding and outfitting. If a person doesn't spend a ton of time on the glass and can work with 1 moa, it's fine.

 

[bls8433]

I have Leica rangefinder binoculars and love the clarity and convenience of having the rangefinding in my hands while using the binocs. That said they are heavy and I don't use them for bowhunting. I use a small Nikon rangefinder and compact binoculars. Rangfinders are a more technical product that are continually getting smarter and providing additional information. It is less expensive to upgrade just the rangefinders as upgrading a high quality binocular/rangfinder combo comes at a steep price. Something to consider depending on your budget.